"It was only natural for the coworking phenomenon to reach mountain towns, and now we're really seeing an explosion of people coming to the mountains to play and also wanting a place to get work done. The rise in coworking spaces in ski towns in Tahoe, Colorado and Jackson Hole is giving people an opportunity to have affordable, collaborative and productive spaces to work while living or visiting the mountains." says Megan Michelson, co-founder Tahoe Mill Collective, located at Alpine Meadows, California.

Mountain town coworking spaces offer local startups, entrepreneurs, business owners, students and corporate workers plus vacationers a flexible and affordable place to work and gather in a collaborative environment.

The way people work is changing. And where they work is changing. It’s estimated that more than half of the workforce will work remotely by 2020.

“Mountain town coworking spaces are a gathering place for people united by the belief that an inspiring place helps us do our most inspiring work,” says Megan Beck, co-founder of Spark JH in Jackson Hole and vice president of development for Vittana.

The Mountain Coworking Alliance offers members two free days at the participating spaces, including:

To take advantage of the two free reciprocal days, workers must have a membership at their home coworking space and must contact the visiting coworking space at least a week in advance to make arrangements. Space is offered pending availability.

The Mountain Coworking Alliance capitalizes on another trend - skiers and snowboarders who plan multiple trips within one ski season to different resorts. This has been driven, in part, by the popularity of affordable multi-resort season passes like the Mountain Collective and Epic Pass. The Mountain Coworking Alliance now provides flexible places to work with access to more than a dozen of the top-rated ski resorts in the country ranging from Jackson Hole to Aspen and from Heavenly to Breckenridge.

“Mountain Coworking spaces give people the launching pad to pursue their passions – whether that means more days on the ski slopes or collaborating with other smart, fun people to bring their big ideas to life,” says Amy Kemp, co-founder of ELEVATE, a new space and community gathering spot that opened Oct. 1 in Frisco, Colorado. “Mountain towns are dynamic places that have always attracted risk takers and adventurers who push the limits on the trails as well as in business. Coworking spaces become a hub for the locals and visitors and help create an even stronger community and broaden the economic base for mountain communities.”

According to Jamie Orr, co-Founder of Tahoe Mountain Lab in South Lake Tahoe, “The mountain coworking spaces create a place for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers to collaborate and thrive. As an example, Tahoe Mountain Lab has become a hub of activity for the community in a way that just wouldn't happen in a big city, and we love seeing the impact we're having both inside and outside our office walls."